NRL great Paul Gallen says he "doesn't care" why new recruit John Bateman is yet to play for the Wests Tigers, in the wake of an extraordinary outburst from club chairman Lee Hagipantelis but says the confusion surrounding the marquee signing's status hurts the club's fans.
Officially, Bateman is "acclimatising" after only arriving from the UK two weeks before the start of the season. But rumours have emerged that the 29-year-old might be suffering from an ankle injury.
Ahead of the club's match against Newcastle, Hagipantelis called on those pushing the ankle injury line to "put up or shut up".